MODELYEARINDEX

Which Ford Bronco Sport years to avoid

No Ford Bronco Sport model year in 2021–2021 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2021, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Ford Bronco Sport Full report
C
Grade 2021–2021
2021 vs model median 1.0×
Model median3× median
Electrical 178
Engine 121
Brakes 119
Weakest

2021

Best

2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2021
1.00× 802 C
2022 P
0.61× 504 C
2023 P
0.27× 216 B
2024 P
0.18× 154 B
2025 P
0.06× 44 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2021 C 802 reports · median 35,000 mi

  1. Electrical 178

    The dash cluster was dead and the start button LED just flashed on and off. The battery, checked with a vom, showed normal voltage. The vehicle would not start. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Engine 121

    The contact owns a 2021 ford bronco sport. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start-up. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Brakes 119

    The contact owns a 2021 ford bronco. The contact stated that an abnormal squealing noise would emit from the vehicle without warning. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

26 crash · 21 fire · 19 injuries

The best year for the Bronco Sport

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2021 is the best-scoring Bronco Sport model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 60 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2021 1.00× 802 C

Recalls

29 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
25V467000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM 2021–2024 694,271
22V859000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM 2021–2023 521,746
24V267000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE/BCM 2021–2024 456,565
22V191000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION 2021, 2022 345,451
25V019000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY 2021–2023 272,817
25V788000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 2025 229,609
25V442000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE 2021–2024 200,237
21V922000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER 2021, 2022 114,666
24V594000 VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR 2023, 2024 86,852
22V686000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE 2022, 2023 86,050
25V685000 EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER 2021–2024 59,006
25V158000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM) 2021–2024 48,041

+ 17 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 35,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Ford Bronco Sport years should you avoid?
No Ford Bronco Sport model year in 2021–2021 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2021.
What is the best year for the Ford Bronco Sport?
2021 is the best-scoring Ford Bronco Sport model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 60 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Ford Bronco Sport have?
29 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Ford Bronco Sport model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 Bronco Sport
Complaints in window
802
Severity-weighted
1,233
Model median (weighted)
1,233
vs model median
1.00×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
18
Open investigations
0
Score 60 C